Modern Vespa

So I've had two covers stolen now, the 2nd time it actually had a combination lock through the grommet, I guess they just cut slits and slid it off anyway.

Perhaps someone can recommend a version that is more secure to use than the cheap ones I've tried?

I was all set to return the current one too because I did know the secure point was too flimsy. I can't even begin to explain how irritating this is.

Which brand did you have?

I have this one, don't use it much but it has a pretty decent grommet hole and sturdy fabric overall
http://www.binetto.com/Binetto-Bike-Covers/Binetto-BN-234-Standard-Cover.aspx

Were both covers stolen from the same spot (home or work)? If they were, it might be an issue of someone in that area wanting your cover, no matter what.

I use to cover my scoot, but gave up on it a couple years ago to save the hassle. Haven't had any problems since...

Yup, same spot, by my apartment. I wouldn't care about covering it but I saw someone's Vespa that had been tagged "spray painted" for no good reason, plus I know it's better to keep the thing out of sight, especially where I live.

The only good news is that the one I had was pretty cheap, I don't think the brand is even worth mentioning.

Try the Binetto. It's a pretty solid fabric.

I got mine at Vespa Soho. It was 3 years ago or so but the might still carry the brand. I'd hate to tell you it's more durable than the one you had, but if Soho (or Vespa Brooklyn, Vespa Queens, etc) stocks it you can check it out and see how it compares.

Bummer to hear about scoots getting tagged.

I still can't see any benefit from a cover, and can think of at least three reasons not to use one.

Pray tell. Just interested. I can think of two.

It's a sail - not good in windy conditions, we've had reports of the cover being the reason a scoot has tipped over.
It shows the owner of whatever is underneath thinks it's valuable, or 'special' - therefore the inquisitive will want to see what's underneath.
It will rub against the painted surfaces - any dirt on those surfaces will grind in, not good.

Oh, and a fourth, the covers themselves are coveted in some places by the homeless etc.

I don't agree.

Out of sight out of mind is a good reason.

It also makes the bike a bigger object if people are parking, so I'd hope it makes it less easy to knock over.

Covers get nicked, act like sails, and get lifted by curious thieves. Cover been fiddled with? Move your scooter now, before they come back.

You're in New York? What part?

One advantage of living in the boondocks, but I won't gloat. Besides I miss all the culture you folks have...

Maybe try putting duct tape on your next cover? Make it look like it's all ripped up?

I don't know about these things, but it seems like there would be two possible categories of thieves: someone homeless after your cover, or someone that is just a thief thinking of reselling. If it's the latter, I think buying a new cover is a moot point, because some day soon said thief will be back with a few buddies and a pickup, cable cutters, etc, to get the main entree. If the former, a homeless person won't be stopped by duct tape. You could get something like a Zena wheel lock, and when the handlebars get twisted a bit on removing the cover, the thing will go off- I don't think they would want to attract attention.

I just bought a cover, after five years of not using one on either my old Stella or my GTS. One of our cats likes to get into the garage and hang out on my vinyl convertible old VW top. Lately, she's taken to stretching out completely on my GTS seat. Looks like the great Sphinx of Egypt gone Mod. The Prima cover seems to lift off the seat halfway to the handlebars when the bottom elastic wraps around the free rear wheel, so it might work.

You could always spray paint your new cover "Stolen from" with your address on it.

I agree tag your own cover( not the address part tho) and duct tape it. That way it won't look so "nice". If somebody hasn't been to NYC you wouldn't understand why he wants to cover it. Probably some homeless people using it to sleep on

yup tag your own cover. be an artist, go wild and post some pics please.

I have had cats work over upholstery and vinyl tonneaus in my garage with their claws a number of different times. Had it happen once after I just got all new uphlstery on my side car bike. Wasn't happy and have gone to covering all my scoots/bikes in the garage.

Yeah from what I understand there is a homeless shelter somewhere in the area, but I've never seen them by my place.

It WAS stolen on a rainy night (well the 2nd time at least) so maybe they are using it as a tarp to stay dry but that doesn't really make it okay.

I don't even know what to do at this point, spend more for one that may be more secure, don't even bother or buy another cheap one knowing there's a good chance it'll just get stolen again.

What really rubs it in is that on the opposite side of my building there's a guy that uses a cover as well, not even tied down, and his seems to go completely unmolested.

If they've successfully stolen your cover twice, they may not be idiots after all.

Oh I assure you, I can think of much more creative names to call them than idiots. Would you like to hear a few?

COUNT i go to the city every year when i go back to the mainland and there are a million homeless people and i would bet that's them. Man they don't get their shit out of the way for anybody Get a cheap one, duct tape it etc. Run your lock thru it and see if it gets stolen again. Might be your on the way to the homeless shelter and the other guy isn't. Can you park by his? Good luck Oh and i hate people who steal. Homeless or not.

Two-two scooter covers stolen! Ah ah ahhhh! (Sorry-couldn't help it!)

I'll preface by saying this is based on my experiences where I live. The hooligans may think differently elsewhere, changing the game. But... A good cover can be pretty well strapped around the underside of the scooter. Boston can be RIDICULOUSLY windy and I've never had an issue even with my "light" ET. I believe Vespas are way too shiny for their own good, and everyone knows they are valuable. When not covered, I have had my ET2 keyed, the seat slashed, bird shit, people sitting on it, people leaving McDonalds cups on it, people leaving starbucks cups on it, the ignition broken in a theft attempt...
Since I've been covering it with a non-Vespa cover I haven't had any of these issues in the same locales for over two years. This is very true. I switched out my original really cheap rough cover for one with a soft lining, however, and haven't had any problems. My only hope is that the person uses a cover with the large metal grommets at the bottom, and when they run a lock through the wheel they also run it through a grommet. It's not a complete solution, but I haven't had one stolen yet.


The biggest benefit for me has been that, coupled with my xena alarmed U-lock, I haven't had any theft attempts or vandalisms since I began covering my scooter (knock on wood and yeah yeah if they want it bad enough, etc). Prior to these implementations, I had one scooter stolen and my ET2 was the whipping boy of the city's ruffians. I think the cover makes it look bigger, not shiny, and "eh, too much work" to mess with. Without it... that glittery paint and vespa badge are a bullseye for jerks and thieves. I'm under no delusions that it is safe from theft and vandalism, but I've seen a dramatic decline in the degree to which it has been a target since. That, to me, is worth a lot.

In San Francisco, the homeless cut the covers off ( despite cable locks) to cover their mobile homes ( shopping carts).
I had 3 covers stolen off 6 bikes in one weeks time.
That hurt$$!

After I spray painted some choice words and the address on BOTH sides of a remaining cover, it wasn't stolen.
There you go!
Laura

Have happily covered my bikes for years...I had no idea I was asking for trouble...will stand vigil tonight in case some inquisitive homeless person goes sailing off down the road in it, dirt being rubbed in their face powered by the wind over London...

Must be really tough out there, urban environments.

It's been a few years since I visited NYC (relatives), and I don't get down to Denver even that often.

I did have a "ruffian" after my GTS once. I had it parked on my garage pad while inside house I took off my helmet, jacket, etc. for a few minutes. Then I put the scoot away in garage, and went back in the house. Barely a minute later, I looked out the window and saw a bear on the pad right where the GTS had been. A minute later and scoot would have been down and walked on, and bears tend to mangle things as they go about.

Hope not too much OT.

The gorilla alarm may come in handy especially if you lock up the cover. My alarm will chirp if I try to remove the cover with the alarm on . A good deterrent...and if you lock up the cover double deterrent.

As the say...make it a pain to steal your scoot and they'll move on to an easier target...

Best...

Give them and earful, Get a Dowco Motorcycle Cover Alarm

Option 1. Alarm system that goes off if the bike moves. There is another one that goes off if anyone gets within a foot of the bike - some kind of motion detector.

Option 2 - park in a different location, or at a garage that has insurance for this.

Option 3. there is a chemical that interacts with skin that will stink like a scunk, but this may piss him off more.

Option 4, buy a trailer.

Option 5, I used to take the commuter train, and they had these enclosed like trailers that would cost $2.00 a day to park your bike. Cars also paid $2.00, but there were so many bike thefts and liabilities, the village paid for these to reduce their insurance costs.

Option 6. Hire a guard or a big gorilla to watch it from a distance.

Option 7. Keep filling police reports. Eventually the theft or vandal will get caught and have to pay you back so save your receipts.

I have Xena Disc alarm that goes off now if someone even thinks about touching my daily rider, can't afford 5 more @ 100 bucks each for the others.
Laura

This lock comes highly recommended by a fellow NYC rider (he lives in Brooklyn and works all over Manhattan).

Connect it to the scoot, through the cover and you might be all set...

use a grill cover - if you find one large enough...


There are some grills out there far larger than my lx and grill covers are no where near the same price of a scooter cover (esp. a vespa scooter cover)

I had one over my vintage scoot and no one would touch it (in a parking lot) people have reported to me that people lifted the "vespa cover" that was on my lx...I have since gone out and purchased the largest grill cover I could find at a discount store for 10 bucks.

Brooklyn, and in an area of Brooklyn that while safe, is prone to late night mischief.

I actually do have a Xena alarm, didn't even think to use it as a deterrent for cover theft, I feel like people around here don't really care when alarms go off since I live in a loft which is in semi-industrial area so there are always odd noises.

You live in a loft? Traditional live/work freight elevator kinda loft or new construction/rehab kinda loft.

I ask 'cause if it's traditional NY loft why not roll the scoot in to the elevator and then in to your apartment. Live having a garage in the sky

Count, my daughter just moved from Crown Heights, where no one ever bothered her scooter, to Bushwick, where her scooter was knocked over 2 times the first week she was there. Rented a parking place in a garage just so she wouldn't have to worry about her scooter.

Is your scooter cover salesperson on commission and did you fill out the warranty card in their presence?

Funny you should say that since Bushwick is where I live, some shady stuff goes down around here but only when no one is watching, so at least the criminals are kind enough to not do it right in front of you.

My fiance has suggested renting a spot but having a hard time justifying $75 a month for one unless I can park my car there as well.

If my 300 got knocked over, I'd be pretty bummed though. It's a "real" loft, we have a freight elevator but it's such a real loft that operating the freight elevator by yourself is pretty dangerous since it's not caged in. Our landlord doesn't want to deal with someone accidentally falling down the shaft or anything so you have to call the super to operate the elevator. I plan to park the Vespa in my apt during the winter, so it will be out of harms way then but I ride just about every day the weather's good, so it'd be a bit of a hassle to have to track down the super at least twice a day, every day.

$75 is pretty decent. My scoot got knocked over and 1 cowl cost almost $400 to fix (neighbor who hit it is paying). Between the cost of covers and the potential cost of crash-bars (a few hundred minimum) $75 a month might not be all that much over the long haul. Especially for piece of mind. Gotcha, makes sense. I still say go for the $75 a month garage, that will give you the ability to ride year round if we have a nice mild winter, without having to bother the super at all.

On a different note, you come out to one of the New York Scooter Club Wednesday night meet-ups yet?

Do you mean at the Brass Monkey?

If so, I've been there once but that was when I rolled with the Honda Ruckus guys, haven't been there on the Vespa.

As far as the 75$ it's not even for a garage, it's for a spot in an open lot.

Yup, at the Monkey. Next week we are meeting at the Monkey then riding to Grimaldi's for pizza. That's a tough call. For a garage I'd say no brainer, go for it. Open lot, depending on how secure you fell it is....

... will that $75 give you piece of mind? If it wont' give you much piece of mind don't waste the cash. If knowing it'll be in a safe spot off the street in a sketchy neighborhood it might be worth it. You're the only one that can make that call.

Count, my daughter got a garage space for $70 (I think!) a month. She lives on Jefferson St and I think the garage is on Wilson Ave near Jefferson. The garage also has a drop off/pick up for Zip Cars.

Whoa... I live on Jefferson St... this is getting spooky.

I'll have to look into that parking space, it's covered?